RedesignIT—A Model-Based Tool for Managing Design Changes

Abstract

RedesignIT is a computer program that uses model-based reasoning to generate and evaluate proposals of redesign plans for engineered devices. These proposals describe how the design parameters could be changed to achieve a specified performance goal. Equally important, the program proposes complementary modifications that may be necessary to counteract the undesirable side effects of the primary changes. RedesignIT is intended for use during the first stages of a redesign project, when engineers need to make a quick, yet accurate assessment of the overall effects of a particular design change. The program uses qualitative device models, which allow it to compute redesign plans efficiently. With its ability to predict the collateral, and probably undesirable, effects of a design change, the program is well suited to aid product designers in deciding on the feasibility of introducing design changes to a product.

Requirements-based development of an improved engineering change management method

“…This algorithm applies stochastic intersection and union operators along possible change propagation paths to calculate path likelihoods and impacts while excluding self-dependencies and cyclic paths. Cohen, Navathe, and Fulton (2000), Ariyo et al (2007), Kocar and Akgunduz (2010) Goel and Stroulia (1996), Ollinger and Stahovich (2004), Ahmad, Wynn, and Clarkson (2013) 8 Consistency The model-building approach supports consistency checks, ensuring that the model is internally consistent and consistent with other models Xue, Yang, and Tu (2006), Do, Choi, and Song (2008), Kocar and Akgunduz (2010) 9 Adaptability A model of an existing product can be adapted to analyse a new product, i.e. existing models can be re-used easily Goel and Stroulia (1996), Ma, Chen, and Thimm (2008), Ahmad, Wynn, and Clarkson (2013) 10 Benefit-to-cost ratio of model building Habhouba, Cherkaoui, andDesrochers (2011), Wasmer, Staub, andVroom (2011) to a target is defined by the sum of all risks imposed from penultimate components (other than the initiator) to the target.…”

Modelling engineering change management in a new product development supply chain

“…A change impact matrix relating the product features to production elements was developed by Aurich and Martin (2007) in order to group the ECs for processing and planning the implementation. Ollinger and Stahovich (2004) developed a computer program called RedesignIT that can identify the impact of a change in terms of the possible or certain effected factors and also make suggestions to address the effects. Reddi and Moon (2009) proposed a framework to manage the engineering change propagation using the object-oriented programming concepts.…”

A simulation-based method to evaluate the impact of product architecture on product evolvability

“…component linkages, such as types (e.g., energy, information, material and spatial) (Pimmler and Eppinger 1994;Koh et al 2012), physical laws of change propagation (Ollinger and Stahovich 2004), likelihood of impact ) and sensitivity of impact (Yassine and Falkenburg 1999), are neutralized when we randomly draw fitness or performance values for component design choices. Thus, the impacts of additional factors in reality are neutralized in the statistical analysis of the association between product architecture and the simulated fitness landscapes, based on a large sample of simulation data.…”